Organ



(No Model.)

W. L. MERRIN.

ORGAN. No. 255,650. Patented Mar. 28,1882.

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N. PETER5, Pholo-Lnnugraphan Walhinshzrl, n. c.

l i i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM L. MERRIN, OF FREDERIGKTOlVN, OHIO.

ORGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 255,650, dated March28, 1882.

Application filed April 19, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WlLLIAM L. MERRIN, ot' Fredericktown, county ofKnox, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvementin'Organs, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relating to organs is shown embodied in a reed-organ, andhas for its object to improve the quality and volume of tone.

The rods that transmit the movement from the keys to the valves to openthem are provided with controllingmechanism whereby the said valves areopened to a greater or less amount, thereby controlling their action asresonators, and enabling prominence to be given to the differentharmonies or overtones, as desired, in order to vary the quality of thetone of the reed as desired. The reed-cells open below the reed-tonguesintoan auxiliary chamber, which is shown in one instance as common toseveral reeds and made of two strips or partitions converging togetherfrom the under side of the reedsupporting board, and one or both't-hesaid partitions is preferably hinged upon the said board, so that thespace between the converging edges may be enlarged or decreased tothereby qualify the sound issuing from the reeds. Beneath this auxiliarychamber and the reeds is placed a sound-re-enforcing device eonsistin gpreferably of a thin steel or iron diaphragm, or it may consist of ananimal membrane or a soundingboard or series of rather loosely stretchedstrings by which the tones are amplified, and the effect oftheinstrument greatlyimproved. The reedtongues are flanged or providedwith ribs at one side, as hereinafter described, whereby peculiar andnovel vibratory movement is imparted to them and novel sound resultsproduced, this construction preserving the proper stiffness ofthe reedwith a much smaller weight of metal than is needed in the common coirstruction.

The invention further consists in details of construction of the keysand stop devices, as will be hereinafter described.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a sut'ticient portion of an organto illustrate my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse sectionthereof; Fi 3, a side view of the valve-operating device in threedifferent positions, producing difi'erent amounts of opening for thesame depression of the key; Fig. 4, a top view of one of thevalve-operating devices in detail; Fig. 5,a detail of the novel form ofspring employed with the valve-operating rod; Fi 6, a perspective viewof a reed embodying my invention, and Fig. 7 a detail illustrating thestop motion.

The wind-chesta, connected with the bellows b, of anyusualconstruction,is provided with a sound-re-enforcing device, 0, shownin this instance as a thin diaphragm, of steel oriron or animalmembrane, forming the bottom of the closed air-space in the wind-chest,while the bottom proper, d, of the chest serves to protect the saidmembrane from injury, and is provided with openings 2, which give theair below the diaphragm 0 free com munication with the external air toallow the diaphragm to vibrate properly. Instead of a membrane ordiaphragm, loosely-stretched strings may be employed, as they willvibrate in unison with sounds of different pitch, and in this case thebottom (I of the chest a will be air-tight.

The top of the wind-chest is provided with the usual series ofreed-cells, c, which are in this instance closed on all sides andcovered at the top with the valves f f, pivoted at 3, and each providedwith a projection, g, to be actuated by the valve-operating red h whendepressed by the key 1', of usual construction. The said red It isprovided with feet 7t it (see Fig. 4) to engage the projections g of thevalves, two of the said foot (marked 7) being opposite one another andadapted to open both sets of valves f f simultaneously, while the thirdfoot, 76, when brought into the proper position, as hereinafterdescribed, will engage one or the other of the valves f orf and open itindependently of the other.

The rods h are provided with pinions [,whieh mesh with the teeth of arack-bar, m, common to an entire series of the said rods, so that by alongitudinal movement of the said rack-bar the said rods are all turnedsimultaneously, and in this movement thei'eet 7.: it are brought intoposition to engage or not the projections g of the valves. These feetare so shaped that as they are turned with the rods they engage theprojections g at points more or less remote IOC from the hinges orpivotal points 3 of the valves ff, so that an equal amount of depressionof the said rods by the keys i will raise the valves to differentheights from the reed-cells, thus controlling the amountof air admittedto operate the said reeds. This operation is bestillustrated in Figs. 3and 4, in the latter of which the feet are shown in full linesin suchposition that they do not engage either of the projections g, and thevalves will accordingly not be opened when the keys are depressed, sothat placing the feet in this position serves to stop all the reedsoperated by the valves and keys controlled by the same rack-bar, m. Whenturned a short distance in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, the feetk are brought in position, as shown in dotted lines, to engage theprojections 9 near the fulcrum 3, so that the valves ff are elevated thegreatest distance, as shown at A in Fig. 3. .As the rods hare turnedstill farther in the direction of the arrow the feet It will engage theprojections g at greater distance from the pivot 3, and open the valveless and less, as shown at B and C, Fig. 3, and will finally pass whollybeyond the projections 9, after which the foot will be in position toengage the valve j", which will alone be operated, the valvesf andcorresponding reeds being then stopped or inoperative. By turning ashort distance in the reverse direction to the arrow from the positionshown in full lines, Fig. 4, the foot is will engage and operate thevalve f, while the one f remains inoperative. The valves ff are made ashollow chambers, the air-space within them being connected with that inthe reed-cells by one or more holes, at, so that the air in the saidspace is set in vibration by the reed, and by varying the position ofthe valve when opened different harmonics or overtones of the reed maybe strengthened and the quality of the tone thus varied.

The rack-bar in is actuated to turn the rods h and their feet It, inorder to control the operation of the valves, as just described, by anysuitable mechanism within the reach of the performer on the instrument.As herein shown, the said bar is provided at its end (see Fig. 2) withteeth on its under side meshing with a pinion, 0, fixed on a shaft, 1),extended forward to the side of the key-board, where it is provided witha handled crank or pointer, q, (see Fig. 7,) to enable the operator toturn it.

An are, r, is employed, properly marked to indicate the point at whichthe handleis to be stopped in order to produce the desired quality oftone.

The springs s, by which the rods hare pressed up against the keys t andraised when the keys are no longer depressed, are of peculiar construction illustrated in Fig. 5, they each consisting of two flexible orelastic arms the extremities of which bear upon a suitable fixed portionof the frame-work 2?, (shown in Figs. 1 and 2,) the said arms beingconnected together by a spiral portion, 8, encircling the rod h andpressing upward on a shoulder, h, on the said rod. The coils of thisspiral portion yield as the rod h is depressed and the angle of thespring-arms is changed, making a much more delicate and evenly-actingspring than would be produced if the action either of the arms or of aspiral spring alone were depended on.

Beneath the reeds and within the wind-chest a are placed auxiliarychambers a it, having an opening, 5, above the re-cnforcing device ordiaphragm c, the impulses of the air in the chamber it, produced by thevibrations of the reed, havinga much more marked effect upon and inconnection with the said diaphragm than if the reeds vibrated in directconnection with the wind-chest (t in the usual manner.

The quality of the tone or sound produced will depend to a large extentupon the size and shape of the chambers a a and upon the size andposition of the aperture 5. The chamher a is shown as of fixeddimensions, and an independent chamber is used for each reed, while thechamber a is shown as common to a series of the reeds, and is separatedfrom the wind-chest by the long partitions e a, one or both of which arepreferably pivoted as at 6, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) being mounted upon ashaft, 10, Fig. 2, provided with a bevel-pinion, w, meshing with abevel-pinion, 0 mounted on a shaft, 11 operated by a pointer, (1 (seeFig. 7,) similar in function and operation to the one 9 by which thevalves are controlled, as hereinbefore described. In this manner thepartitions c a may be turned on their pivots 6 to vary their inclinationand the consequent size and shape of the chamber a, formed by them, andthe form and position of the aperture 5 between them, thus producingvarious qualities of sound, the effect of which is much improved by thediaphragm 0.

One of the partitions, as i), may be made to move up to thereed-sustaining board to close the aperture therein beneath the reeds,and thus act as a stop-valve for the said reeds.

The reeds are preferably of the kind shown in Fig. 6, the tongues 00,mounted in any usual frames, being provided with a flange, 00, extendingalong one edge only, the object being to give great stiffness to thereed-tongue in proportion to its weight, whereby the pitch of a thickheavy reed is produced; but owing to its lightness the tongue is muchmore promptly or quickly set in vibration than a thicker one.

Placing the flange at one side only of the reed-tongue or making thestruck-up or stiffening portion unsymmetrical, imparts a richness andpeculiar quality to the sound produced; and reeds of this constructionmay be voiced or their tones otherwise varied in the same manner asreeds of ordinary construction.

I am aware that a reed-frame has been providcd with a chamber beneaththe reed and formed as a part of the reed-frame, and I do not broadlyclaim such a chamber.

I am also aware that a reed-tongue has been provided with wings at itsedges and near its tip, they being constructed with a view tocontrolling the flow of air through the tongueopening in the reed-frame,and not performing the function of my stitfening flanges orcorrugations, as they add to the weight of the reedtongue withoutmaterially increasing its stiffness.

I am also aware that valves made as hollow chambers have been employed,they having been located in the wind-chest below the reedcells and notupon the outside of the reed-cell, as herein shown.

I claim-- 1. In an organ, the pivoted valves and valveoperating rodsprovided with feet to engage the said valves, combined with mechanism,substantially as described, under control of the operator, to change theposition of the said feet and vary their action upon the valves, as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. The valve and valve-operating rods provided with feet to engage thesaid valves and having pinions connected therewith, combined with arack-bar meshing with the said pinion and means to moveitlongitudinally,whereby the operator is enabled to rotate all the said rodssimultaneously to control their operation on the valves, substantiallyas described.

3. In an organ, two series ofreeds and valves therefor, combined with aseries of valve-operating rods, each provided with feet arranged andadapted to engage and operate a valve of each series simultaneously orto engage a valve of either series, as desired, independently of theother series, substantially as described.

4. The wind-chest and reeds mounted thereon, combined with thesound-re-enforcing de vice in the said wind-chest and the independentchamber below the reeds in the wind-chest, -provided with an orifice oraperture above the said re-enforcing device, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

5. The wiudchest and reeds, combined with the chamber common to a seriesof the said reeds, and having one or more of its sides mounted on hingesor pivoted and provided with means to move it thereon, whereby the formand size of the said chamber may be varied to modify the quality of thesound produced, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with thekey and rod operated thereby, ofthe springto maintain the rod in engagement with the said key,it consisting of theelastic arms and the spiral portion connecting them, substantially asand for the purpose described.

7. The reed-tongue consisting of a plane portion of usual form, providedwith a stiffening-flange at one edge only, whereby a peculiarvibrational movement and novel quality of sound are produced,substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM L. MERRIN.

Witnesses:

J 0s. P. LIVERMORE, Bnnnrcn J. Novas.

